title: A synthetic lymph node containing inactivated Treponema pallidum cells elicits strong, antigen-specific humoral and cellular immune responses in mice.
abstract: The goal of this study was to investigate the use of a synthetic lymph node (SLN) for delivery of Treponema pallidum (Tp) antigens. Immune responses of C57BL/6 mice were analyzed at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after SLN implantation. Group 1 mice received SLN with no antigen; Group 2, SLN with formalin-inactivated Tp (f-Tp); and Group 3, SLN with f-Tp plus a CpG oligodeoxynucleotide. When tested by ELISA, sera from Group 2 and Group 3 mice showed stronger IgG antibody reactivity than sera from Group 1 mice to sonicates of f-Tp or untreated Tp, but not to sonicate of normal rabbit testicular extract at all times. The IgG1 level was higher than IgG2c level for Group 2 mice at all times and for Group 3 mice at 4 and 8 weeks. IgG1 and IgG2c levels were nearly equivalent for Group 3 mice at 12 weeks. Immunoblotting showed that IgG from Group 2 and Group 3 mice recognized several Tp proteins at all times. Supernatants of splenocytes from Group 2 and Group 3 mice contained significantly more IFNγ than those from Group 1 mice after stimulation with f-Tp at all times. A significant level of IL-4 was not detected in any supernatants. These data show that strong humoral and cellular immune responses to Tp can be elicited via a SLN.
authors.affiliation: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Lola V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Stamm
authors.forename: Rebecca L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Drapp
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000276:immunology*; D056724:Immunity, Humoral / Q000276:immunology*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000276:immunology; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000276:immunology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D011817:Rabbits; D013737:Testis / Q000276:immunology; D014210:Treponema pallidum / Q000276:immunology*; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma
keywords: Treponema pallidum; immune response; synthetic lymph node; syphilis